Alright next chapter might be the last so if you're reading this check out the poll on my profile.
Ivan hated hospitals with a passion and right now, he hated them even more. Sadik had taken Hercules back to Ivan's house and locked him in the basement while Ivan had rushed Arkady to the nearest hospital. Almost immediately, the boy had been ripped out of Ivan's arms and rushed into emergency. That had been over three hours ago and no one was telling him anything. Currently he was seated in one of the old chairs in the waiting room staring at the same page in a magazine that he had been looking at for almost an hour, his right leg bouncing in impatience. Sadik had arrived in the middle of the waiting period and began pacing, which he was still doing. Ivan was surprised that Sadik hadn't dug a hole in the floor. He returned his gaze to the article and attempted to read through it. A cold hand rested on his shoulder and he turned to find his father, General Winter, standing beside him.
"He's going to be alright my son." Ivan sighed but smiled slightly when he noticed the rest of the extended family and friends were standing in the doorway. His sisters were there along with Ludwig, Mathew, Arthur and most of the Middle East. As everyone passed around their sympathies, an aging nurse walked in with a clipboard.
"Mr. Braginski and Mr. Adnan?" The two jumped to their feet and rushed over to her. "Follow me please." It turned out that Ageta would be just fine and would have full use of her arm back in a few months. Arkady's fingers would be fine and he had suffered no head trauma but there was still a problem. The two looked in the window at their little boy hooked up to a series of machines.
"What's wrong with him?" Ivan looked at the balding doctor in fear. The man shook his head and removed his glasses.
"It's a self-induced coma, for lack of a better term. Put basically, it's when the amount of negative emotions completely overruns the brain, and in order to get a break, the brain forcefully shuts down the body. Even as we're speaking, the brain itself is shutting down. If he doesn't wake up within 24 hours, his brain will stop telling the lungs to breath, stop telling the heart to beat and he will die." Sadik clenched Ivan closer to him.
"What are his odds?" Though he really didn't want to hear the answer, he had to.
"In the 20,000 cases that have been reported worldwide, 2 have woken up."
The meeting the next morning was solemn. Ivan had refused to leave the hospital all night and still had not shown up. After the explanation of what had happened and everyone seeing first hand due to pictures, no one wanted to say anything to the Turk glaring from behind his mask. Alfred cleared his throat uneasily.
"Well, I guess we should get star-" The doors to the meeting room opened with a bang and gusts of freezing wind rolled in carrying snow in with it. Ivan stood in the doorway, pipe in hand. He attempted to force his usual smile but it turned out looking far too cruel. Those that had lived with Ivan, especially during the time of the Iron Curtain, immediately coward.
"A coma." His voice sickly sweet as his gaze traveled over everyone in the room, softening only with those that he called friends. "My baby could die." The calm tone just seemed to chill the room more. "If he does, I won't stop with Greece. Everyone that took my baby from me will fall and for some of you," he locked gazes with Gilbert. "It will be a trip down memory lane." Ludwig stepped in front of his brother.
"Ivan please no. I know what he did but please." Ivan slammed one hand down on the table and the other seized Ludwig's collar.
"It's partially his fault!" Ludwig remained calm and gently pried the Russian's fingers from his collar. Ivan's mask had cracked to reveal the desperation and anguish.
"Arkady will be alright." Ivan's eye twitched.
"You better be right Ludwig because if he's not, I'll paint the whole world red."
